Some 2,000 unique 18th-century coins have disappeared from the Denis Diderot Museum, mere days after a jewelry heist at the Louvre
Another museum in France has suffered a break-in, Franceinfo reported on Wednesday. A day after a high-profile jewelry heist at the Louvre, nearly 2,000 prized coins were reportedly stolen from the Denis Diderot House of Enlightenment in the northeastern town of Langres.
The case adds to a series of major museum thefts in the country in recent months, prompting an outcry from opposition politicians over the government’s handling of cultural heritage security.
The gold and silver coins were reported stolen on Monday morning after museum staff discovered a broken front door and a shattered display case. The hoard reportedly included 1,633 silver and 319 gold coins from the 18th and 19th centuries, with an estimated value of around €90,000 ($104,000). The stolen items were part of the museum’s “treasure” collection, unearthed by construction workers during building renovations in 2011.
According to the local mayor’s office, as cited by the news outlet, the break-in appeared premeditated and targeted, with only selected valuables taken while other objects were left untouched. Local authorities have reportedly tasked a private security company with providing overnight surveillance of the site while the security system at the temporarily closed museum is being upgraded.
The Langres incident follows two other major museum thefts in France this month. On October 16, gold nuggets worth €1.5 million were stolen from the National Museum of Natural History in Paris. On October 19, eight pieces of Napoleonic-era jewelry were taken in a daylight break-in at the Louvre.
The Louvre heist triggered sharp criticism of museum leadership. Director Laurence Des Cars faced accusations of prioritizing diversity over security experience in her staffing decisions.
Marion Marechal, a European Parliament member and niece of Marine Le Pen, said France had become the “laughingstock of the world” following the “ridiculous theft,” calling for the immediate resignation of Des Cars and the museum’s security chief Dominique Buffin, whom she claimed had been appointed as part of a feminization policy.
Jordan Bardella, the president of National Rally, branded the heist at the world’s most visited museum an “intolerable humiliation,” calling it reflective of “the decay of the state.”
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